South Lanarkshire school scheme to get underway

A construction scheme in South Lanarkshire to create six new schools is set to get underway in the coming days.

Morgan Sindall, the company given the task of bringing the project to life, will begin work on the school scheme by starting the latest phase of the development which is estimated to cost £150 million. The Construction Enquirer revealed phase two of tranche two which saw the firm complete 13 schools during the first part of the construction process and the creation of these new educational facilities in the Scottish area is set to provide a significant to the sector. A number of new institutes have been highlighted for construction which will be phased in over the coming years.

Morgan Sindall stated that work will be starting immediately on the new £4.8 million Carstairs Village Primary School campus as well as the £4.6 million Carstairs Junction Primary School on Coronation Street. These facilities are expected to be completed by 2013, in time for the start of the 2013/14 academic year. Officials behind the plans have said that the facilities will come with a host of features which provide children with a top specification learning environment.

The other schools highlighted in the building programme include Woodside Primary School, Newton Primary School, Machanhill Primary School and Forth Primary School. Officials have also said that these developments are earmarked for completion by 2016, providing a marked boost to the area.

Eddie Carr, area director for Morgan Sindall in Scotland, told the news provider: "Scotland is already well ahead of other areas in terms of replacing schools and South Lanarkshire is one of the first councils to improve its educational stock across the board with more than 74 primary schools and 19 secondary schools being completed to date. It's a real privilege to be working alongside such a forward thinking and proactive council."

Education is becoming a top priority for the government, with a recent report by the Department for Education (DfE) revealing a large number of primary schools in Staffordshire were failing in terms of the county's high standards and this needed to be urgently addressed.